Is there a big guy martial art?

[jks9199]

People keep saying it.

Anyone can learn any art. There are some builds that lend themselves better to some arts (long and lanky beats thick and squatty for Tae Kwon Do, for example, or the Bando Boar or Bull requires a rather heavy build, as in thick bones and dense muscle, to absorb the shocks) -- but that doesn't mean you can't learn them if you aren't built that way.

We all have to constantly adapt our art to our current body and condition. You may have an injured knee, or tennis elbow, be overweight... or recovering from a severe illness. All of this will effect what you can do. One of the most impressive things I've seen is pregnant women training; they're adapting to constantly changing bodies.

 

[seasoned]

My art of GoJo makes small people big, and big people small. Go figure.

 

[ap Oweyn]

Sumo

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I like being a big person, and I like Isshinryu karate. No kicks above the obi, and everything is solidly rooted in a firm stance. I can do that.

 

[Joab]

I like being a big person, and I like Isshinryu karate. No kicks above the obi, and everything is solidly rooted in a firm stance. I can do that.

Whatsn the "obi"?

 

[Xinglu]

Whatsn the "obi"?

Obi is that thing you tie around your waist to hold your gi together.

 

[Joab]

Obi is that thing you tie around your waist to hold your gi together.

Ahh yes, the belt or sash depending upon what martial art you are taking. Or obi if you are into Japanese words I suppose.

 

[Randy Strausbaugh]

I've heard that big people do well in Hung gar as well. I guess it all depends on what is available to you and on the quality of the instruction.

 

[bluekey88]

I think that is most important. Sure, maybe sumo is ultimate big guy art... but I know that in my area, you aren't going to find instruction in it. However, there are plenty of good instructors out there for other stuff.

Best to find an instructor you like and an art that you like...don't worry about if its a perfect fit for your body type...good instruction and hard training tends to work those things out.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Langenschwert]

Well, Musashi was asid to have been over 6 feet tall (huge for a Japanese, particularly in the 17th Century!), so Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu?

I really like it, even though my main art is Kunst des Fechtens. I find a very enjoyable compliment to the German longsword I do. And I'm a fairly big guy... 6', 210 lbs.

Size is of course an advantage in many MA. I'm primarily a weapons guy, and having the reach I do is a handy thing. Weapons make long reach even more of an advantage, but they reduce the advantage of brute strength.

The most important thing is finding an art you enjoy that's being taught by an excellent teacher.

A note about weapons training: There is a lot of nonsense out there with regards to weapons. If you find a weapons place, find out who those guys REALLY are and from what their stuff is derived. A lot of people like to cash in on the romanticized notion of the Samurai and cobble together some nonsense "sword art" from whatever for example. You'd be better off in the SCA than that kind of garbage.

Some "green flags" for weapons are: Solid MANUAL-BASED European swordsmanship, Koryu Japanese weapon arts, and Filipino martial arts. Not that there aren't other good styles and schools out there, but it gives a place to start looking, and those are the people most often "in the know" about who's legit and who's not.

Good luck!

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[Stac3y]

Speaking of reach, I was sparring with a friend (almost said a fiend--she kinda is) the other night and wondered aloud why, in a simultaneous exchange of hand techniques, she pretty much always hits first. She's considerably bigger than me (about 5'11" to my 5'8"), but I was really surprised to discover that she has about a 3" longer reach than I do. She's able to use her height and limb length very effectively in American Karate; I've met many others who can do that, too, though some of the very tall teens have trouble figuring out how to move their long arms and legs. Especially right after a growth spurt.

 

[Kwan Jang]

When I hit a growth spurt in my teens, I made the mistake of trying to muscle my way through things and often got sloppy with my techniques (though I had previously been a really sharp technician). One of my instructors took me aside (himself a former top ranked heavyweight) and explained to me that as I grew stronger and bigger, the size and power was always going to be there. It was part of who I was. It was the technique that was going to make that more efficient and make more use of what I had.

I have trained for decades in TKD, JJ, Muay Thai and the FMA's. I have also been a nat'l level competitior as a strength athlete. All of these systems as welll as MMA have been great "big guy's martial arts" for me over the years. I have performed full squats with over 800 lbs and can not only do full splits, but also vertical kicks, so IME you can achieve whatever you believe that you can and are willing to work for.

 

[Jaspthecat]

I'm only 6ft and 220lb but I have found with Muay Thai that I am becoming a wrecking machine due to long reach with arms and legs and the muscularity.

If only I could go the distance and not gas after a couple of rounds....

Boxing is also good for big guys.